1. Technical Field
This invention relates in general to grounding electrical connector emissions, and in particular to an apparatus and method for grounding high frequency, electromagnetic emissions at electrical connector interfaces.
2. Background Art
Controlling electromagnetic (EM) emissions of computing systems by shielding or grounding the hardware, connectors and the like is well known in the art. One problem with conventional connectors is that they have a limited range of operational frequency support. Some connector types such as PCI connectors or DIN connectors for the keyboard and mouse only support frequencies up to about 400 MHZ. However, as systems continue to improve, frequencies of 1 GHz or more are becoming commonplace. If left unchecked, these higher frequencies can emit excessive amounts of EM interference. This problem is particularly acute with existing or older systems that have been upgraded to run at higher speeds. These systems were not designed to operate at such levels and are incapable of grounding the associated EM emissions. Thus, a solution is needed to ground inadequately insulated equipment, particularly at the connector interfaces.